All victims must be treated equally before the judiciary, and each deserves a posthumous right to truth and justice, which, unfortunately, is not the case in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most obvious example is Srebrenica and central Podrinje, said Slobodan Župljanin, president of the Organization of Officers of the Army of Republika Srpska, in a statement to SRNA.
Župljanin emphasized that no one denies that a horrific crime occurred in Srebrenica—for which many have been held accountable and continue to be—but he questioned what has happened with the murdered Serbs in Podrinje and why no one responsible among the Bosniaks has been adequately punished even after 33 years.
“Are those lower-ranking victims? Who has been held accountable, and what is the Bosniak attitude toward those victims? Do Serb victims have the right to weep, the right to truth, the right to justice? According to the current situation in BiH—they do not. That is tragic, inhumane, and anti-civilizational,” Župljanin stressed.
He asked how it is possible that no one has been held accountable for the more than 3,000 Serbs killed in central Podrinje and Birač, and why both BiH and the international community remain blind and deaf to this crime.
He stated that coexistence and reconciliation in BiH cannot be expected if one group of victims is elevated to the heavens, while the other is buried beneath the ground.
“The problem in BiH cannot be resolved by hiding historical facts, exaggerating the number of victims on one side, and minimizing those on the other,” Župljanin said.
He added that Republika Srpska and the Serb people have nothing against anyone in BiH commemorating dates and events from the past war—but emphasized that everyone must do so with sincere remembrance of the victims, without falsifying history and without politicizing the dead.
Tomorrow, the Memorial Center in Potočari will mark 30 years since the deaths of Bosniaks from Srebrenica.
On Saturday, July 12, a memorial service will be held at the ossuary and two memorials dedicated to Serbs killed in the last two wars in the village of Zalazje. Tribute will be paid to Serb civilians and soldiers from the area who were killed on Petrovdan in 1992 near Srebrenica, as well as to all Serbs from central Podrinje who died in the last war and those killed during World War II in this village.
During the last war, members of the so-called Army of BiH under the command of Naser Orić killed 3,267 Serbs from central Podrinje and Birač. On Petrovdan, July 12, 1992, alone, Muslim soldiers killed 69 Serbs and captured 22 soldiers and civilians from villages near Srebrenica and Bratunac—none of whom survived.
Source: RTRS
